'Hiker's Maps' of Mars Created

By SPACE.com Staff |
February 13, 2007 02:36pm ET

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A topographic map sheet of a part of the Iani Chaos region on Mars, based on image data obtained with the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express. Such 'Topographic Image Map Mars 1:200 000' has been designed as an example of a possible standard map series for the HRSC experiment.

When space
travelers finally traipse across the dusty Martian surface, they'll know
just what kind of terrain to expect thanks to scientists at the European Space
Agency who are producing the first "hiker's maps" of the red planet.

The new
topographic maps, based on data collected by the ESA's Mars
Express spacecraft, could become the standard cartographic reference for
future Martian research, as well as exploration
on foot.

The ESA
eventually will create topographic maps for the entire surface of Mars, which would mean more than 10,000
maps each of equal area.

For
starters, researchers have created a map of the Iani Chaos region, chosen for
the rock "islands" that litter the landscape in an interesting,
chaotic pattern. These rocks are likely the remains of a previous Martian
surface that collapsed when the ice
supporting subsurface cavities melted from volcanic
heat.

All the maps
will feature the names of geological
features and detailed height contours of the landscape.

Contour
lines are superimposed onto high-resolution images of Mars taken by the
High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard Mars Express. The lines help the
eye to follow the morphology of the surface.

The data have
also been transformed into 3-D
computer models of Mars's surface.